Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beats Daniil Medvedev to return to the Wimbledon final

After a so-so opening set, Alcaraz transformed back into the energetic, attacking, crowd-pleasing force who already was the first teenager to be No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is the youngest man to have won a major trophy on three surfaces: grass, clay and hard courts.

Now the Spaniard is one victory away from joining Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open era, which began in 1968, with multiple championships at the All England Club before turning 22.

Alcaraz also triumphed at the US Open in 2022 and the French Open last month.

He is 3-0 in major finals so far and will go up against 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Mussetti on Sunday. That duo was scheduled to meet in the second semifinal — the 49th appearance at that stage of a Grand Slam tournament for Djokovic, and the first for Musetti.

A year ago at Wimbledon, Alcaraz eliminated 2021 US Open champion Medvedev in straight sets in the semifinals before defeating Djokovic in five sets in the final.

This time, on a cloudy afternoon at Centre Court, the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz went through some ups and downs against No. 5 Medvedev, a 28-year-old from Russia who was trying to get to the seventh Slam title match of his career.

“I started really, really nervous,” Alcaraz said. “He was dominating the match, playing a great, great tennis. … It was difficult for me.”

Indeed, Medvedev grabbed an early 5-2 lead, but then got into trouble with his play and his temper.

Alcaraz broke to get within 5-4 with a drop shot that chair umpire Eva Asderaki ruled — correctly, according to TV replays — bounced twice before Medvedev got his racket on the ball. He appeared to curse afterward, and Asderaki, after climbing down from her seat to huddle with tournament referee Denise Parnell during the ensuing changeover, issued a warning to Medvedev for unsportsmanlike conduct.

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He regrouped quickly and was just about perfect in that set’s tiebreaker. His own defensive abilities — if Alcaraz relies on pure speed and reflexes, Medvedev is all about instincts and the long limbs on his six-foot-six frame — combined with some strong serving and a return winner to take it relatively easily.

Then it was Alcaraz’s turn to get headed in the right direction, which didn’t take long.

Three forehand errors by Medvedev translated into a break for Alcaraz and a 2-1 lead in the third set, accomplished with a backhand winner that capped a 27-stroke point that was the match’s longest. Fans roared stood; Alcaraz held an index finger to his ear, and the noise only grew louder.

Alcaraz got the last break he would need for a 4-3 edge in the fourth when Medvedev sailed a backhand long, then sat in his sideline chair, locked eyes with his two coaches up in the stands and started muttering and gesticulating.

That’s what Alcaraz can do to an opponent.

Nearly every time Alcaraz emitted one of his “Uh-eh!” two-syllable grunts while unleashing a booming forehand, spectators audibly gasped, regardless of whether the point continued. Often enough, it didn’t: Of the match’s 28 forehand winners, 24 were produced by Alcaraz’s racket.

That, needless to say, is hardly the kid’s lone skill. He was terrific at the net, whether serve-and-volleying or otherwise, winning 38 of the 53 points when he moved forward. He won three points via drop shots in the opening set alone.

As dangerous as Alcaraz can be at his aggressive best, his defence is something to marvel at, too.

At times, it feels as though an exchange is never over until he decides it is. And if at appears that way from the comfort of the stands, just imagine how frustrating that must be for foes. On one point, Alcaraz left a skid mark several feet long in the grass when he sprinted, then slid, to reach an unreachable ball and sent up a lob that drew an errant Medvedev overhead in response.

Still, Alcaraz was determined not to get into the kind of stretched-out baseline points Medvedev loves. Only 38 of the semifinal’s 244 points lasted nine or more shots.

“I tried not to play long rallies. I tried to hit slices, drop shots. Tried to go the net as much as I can,” Alcaraz said. “Tried not to play his game.”

In addition to the Wimbledon men’s final, Sunday’s sports schedule features the final of the men’s soccer European Championship in Germany, where Spain will meet England.

When Alcaraz alluded to that in his on-court interview by saying, “It’s going to be a really good day for the Spanish people, as well,” he drew boos from the locals.

Alcaraz smiled and added: “I didn’t say Spain is going to win. I just said that it’s going to be a really fun, fun day.”